New to digital..is a strobe necessary?

Hi I recently purchased an Olympus 5060 and PT-020 housing. I am going on a dive trip to Bonaire in March and it will be my first time photographing underwater. Is an optional strobe like the Oly FL20 and housing necessary for me to get some good shots in daylight. I have already spent a bit and would like to save a little for drinks on the vacation. Also if any one has any tips on what settings to use on the camera it would be greatly appreciated. I figured I would shoot on Automatic with the internal strobe using the housing accessory setting in the Auto menu. Thanks Neil

You'll not like the colors you get, at anything deeper than 10 feet, in the clearest water.

The strobe is necessary.

I'd recommend ikelite. Their ds50 is great.

Don

It's possible to get excellent photos without an external strobe at depth. Bob ( a.k.a. Cybergoldfish ) took some beautiful shots with an Oly 5050 on internal flash and auto mode on his first try. Beginner's luck Clear water is important. The most significant limitation is subject range. Get close.

I agree with Herb. It's definitely possible to get excellent photos without an external strobe at depth. Just remember to get close, very close! If you can't touch it, don't shoot it! You might also study the images taken by Ellen Muller with her Olympus 5050 and internal flash. Her images of Bonaire's underwater world are outstanding imho. Follow this link:

http://www.pbase.com/imagine

But I also understand where Don is coming from and wish that you would at least consider Manual mode for exposure settings as opposed to Program ( auto ). This is very important for controlling the background color of the water in your images.

It is very simple to operate an Olympus in Manual imho and if you wish to practice topside before your trip and have questions, just ask. I'm confident others besides me will chip in and give you some guidance. If you'd like to do a little more research, check out Peter Schulz's camera settings at:

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gall...up_settings.htm

The column that has a heading called MY MODE 4 addresses how to set up a camera like yours for manual exposure.

Have Fun!

btw the strobe Don suggested, a DS 50, was my first strobe. And I agree that it is a fine piece of equipment.

Hi...thanks for the info. Does the DS 50 synch and interact(TTL) with the camera the same way the Olympus Brand flash does. Is the DS 50 a better choice than the PFL-01/FL-20 combo...Thx

I have seen some decent stuff without an external flash. But my answer would be absolutely get an external flash. The previously mentioned Ike DS 50 is an excellent choice. Forget about the TTL. Using the LCD and Ike's manual controller will give you many more keepers. Or get one of the strobes with 10 manual settings.

To be quite honest, If you've never used an underwater camera before. Forget the underwater strobe to start with. It will add too much task loading to your diving. Even a fully auto TTL strobe will necessitate aiming etc.

I started playing about 2 years ago with my old Olympus C-830L (D-330 statestide I think) in an Ike housing. Camera was totally point and shoot no manual settings. I was thrilled with the pictures taken. Eventually I outgrew the set and added a strobe later and am now waiting to house my 5060.

You can take excellent pictures with the internal flash, maybe not to pro/semi-pro standard, but good nonetheless. Remember to force the flash (you should see the lightning bolt on the camera display continuously) on in all conditions so it fires even in bright light. Try to get close to the subject you are taking, or stick to sillhouetes. TO get started try sticking to closeups using Macro mode which should give you the best results initially. I did have some success in the Red Sea & Thailand using a color correcting filter such as those sold by UR-Pro. You need the orange one for blue water. You need bright light for best results and the colour correction is a compromise (the actual level of compensation required depends on depth), but it gave me nice results and put off a strobe purchase for a little longer. I got best results using a filter by disabling internal flash.

The DS-50 is a good choice and I think more powerful than the FL-20. Though the FL-20 can be used topside. If you're using the PT-20 the DS-50 will not be hard wired, you'll need an additional optical sensor that reads the cameras internal flash output either TTL or Manual. Manual is reported to give best results, but if you shoot in P mode go TTL. Don't forget to consider the cost of strobe arms & tray as well. You need something to mount the strobe on.

All of the other advice is valid, but I would say start easy and don't try and do too much. On the other hand if Bonaire is the trip of a lifetime and you want the greatest shots, tool up with the best strobe or strobes you can afford, learn manual mode, and get loads of practice dives in with the new kit.

Otherwise, for snapshots (people will hate me for saying this) just point & shoot in P mode! If you can afford it, try a filter. It's hassle free and requires no extra brainpower to operate. I used to take it on/off during the dive to alternate between wide angle shots using no flash and closeup Macros with flash.

Above all, don't let camera & kit get in the way of enjoying the diving!

Hi Paul...thanks very much...this is the letter I print and take with me...along with all the setings pages I've copied too...and dive site lists..Have a great day....Neil

My personal experience is you can get very nice pictures using ambient light only.

Use a UR-Pro filter and manually white balance your camera often as you descend.

Their is however a limit to how deep you can filter the ambient light and get a balanced image.

Marc

My personal experience is you can get very nice pictures using ambient light only.

 

Use a UR-Pro filter and manually white balance your camera often as you descend.

Their  is however a limit to how deep you can filter the ambient light and get a balanced image.

 

Marc

Neil,

Many divers use white dive slates to set the balance. Sometimes it helps even more if it's your dive buddy's slate. BTW there was also a report a short while back of a diver painting one of his fins white.

Unless Olympus has drastically changed the menu procedure with the new Oly 5060 ( keep in mind you're a Pioneer!) here's a general guideline on how it's done:

Once the digicam's white balance capture mode has been selected from the file menu, aim the lens at the slate and press the shutter. Don't forget to click O.K. Keep in mind that you must repeat the process every time your depth changes by more than a few feet. This is because water filters light differently at various depths. On my Oly 4040 I have a "wild card" button that I can program to control this feature if desired. Most likely your 5060 does also. Because I use strobes though, I am happy with the auto or cloudy preset. Alternatively, and considering that the newer breed Oly's have jog dials that need depressing to navigate menu selections, you may want to practice top side to insure that the steps needed to keep the white balance set manually is practical ( I've not used a 5060, personally). Let us all know how you make out.

BTW for another opinion from an Oly user relying only on the internal strobe for emitting artificial light, check out what award winning photographer and fellow board member lionfish43 has to say:

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/gearre...views.php?s=540